Atomizer



R. DILIONE July 1o, 1962 ATOMIZER Filed June 23, 1959 3,042,98l Patented July l0, 1962 3,642,981 ATMIZER Rocco Dilione, 4419 NE. 16th Ave., Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Filed .lune 23, 1959, Ser. No. 822,393 3 Ciaims. (Cl. 21-77) This invention relates -to deodorizing and disinfecting devices and more particularly to such devices used in connection with rtoilet seats and doors which are adapted to be operated whenever 4the seat is lowered or whenever the door is closed.

Disinfecting and deodorizing devices for use in toilets which operate by lowering the toilet seat cover or closing the door are not new in 4the art. While there exists a great need for such a device, none however seem to be available commercially which give satisfactory service or which atomize the liquid disinfectant and deodorizing material into the room to purify the surrounding air.

This invention has as an object to provide an improved device dapted to be automatically operated by the swinging of a movable member which will deodorize and disinfect the air in the room.

It is a further object of my invention to provide a device of the kind described which shall be simple in construction, certain in its operation, durable, and not liable to get out of order.

It is a still further object of my invention to provide a deodorizing and disinfecting device arranged to be operated vby the movement of the toilet seat cover or a ldoor whereby a liquid can be atomized into the air in an eicient manner so as to provide Ithe deodorization and disinfection thereof.

Other objects and advantages of my invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the following description, which when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrates a preferred embodiment thereof.

The foregoing objects are accomplished by placing the following described elements in combination: a reservoir containing a liquid; a piston cylinder positioned therein and tted with a piston and piston rod slidably mounted therein and adapted to be reciprocated by the swinging of a movable member; an air-liquid mixing chamber which connects into said piston cylinder postioned so that the top thereof is below the bottom of the piston when the piston is fully raised; a liquid intake, one end of which is submerged into the liquid, the other end connected into the air-liquid mixing chamber, said liquid intake having means for maintaining the liquid in the liquid intake at all times; an air intake connecting into said air-liquid mixing chamber and having vmeans for regulating the quantity of air to be admitted into the air-liquid mixing chamber on cach stroke of the piston; an expansion chamber connected to the piston cylinder through a Sealed springloaded valve, the stem thereof being so positioned that when the piston is substantially in its most compressed position the piston is in contact with the Valve stern which spontaneously opens the valve, permitting the release of the compressed air-liquid mixture from the piston cylinder and when out of contact with the valve stem the valve is closed so as to seal od the `high pressure cylinder from the piston cylinder; and, means through which the compressed air-liquid mixture is discharged from the expansion chamber and atomized into the surrounding atmosphere.

The accompanying drawings illustrate a preferred embodiment of my invention.

FIG. l is a vertical sectional view through the device, the View being taken substantially on the line 1 1 of FIG. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

FIG. 2 is a view at right angles Ito that of FIG. 1, with a portion shown in section; and with the fluid holder omitted;

FIG. 3 is a top plan view, on a reduced scale of the device;

FlG. 4 is a front elevational View of the structure of FIG. 3, and y FIG. 5 is a detail View, showing a modified construction in which the check valve is eliminated.

Referring to FEGURE 1 of the drawings, my improved device will be seen to comprise a glass liquid reservoir 10, which may contain the deodorizing and disinfecting material 3S to be used for purifying the surrounding atmosphere. The liquid reservoir is provided with a screw cap l1 which may be screwed on to the top of the liquid reservoir 10. Fastened to the upper side of the screw cap 11 of thereservoir 10 is a support plate 12 (FIG. 3), which plate is provided with the necessary appurtenances for fastening to a toilet seat cover 13 (FIG. 4) of the seat assembly. The screw cover 11 and plate 12 each have a hole through the center of sufficient size to permit a piston rod 15 to pass therethrough, yet fitting tightly enough to maintain alignment of the piston rod 15 in a vertical position.

A piston of the pump type 16 is positioned in a cylinder 17 within which the piston is reciprocated. The piston nts tightly, but slidably, against the piston cylinder walls. The piston rod 15 moves up or down in the piston cylinder 17 by means of a rack 14a cut into the upper end of the piston rod 15, the teeth of `said rack engaging in a pinion gear 29.' The pinion gear 20 is mounted on a shaftV 21; which shaft is supported by two shaft supports '22 (FG. 2) one on either side of the pinion gear 20, which sup-` ports are mounted on plate 12. The shaft 21 is rotated by means of a crank 23 which is fastened to the toilet seat cover 13 (FIG. 4) of the seat assembly, so that when the toilet seat cover is lowered the piston travels in a downward direction and when the toilet seat cover is raised the piston travels in an upward direction.

Positioned. at the bottom of the piston cylinder 17 and fastened thereto through a valve arrangement 24 is an expansion chamber 25. The valve 24 is so arranged that the valve stem 24a thereof is normally in a closed position and opens only when the stem 24o, of the valve 24 is in contact with the bottom of the piston 16. Connected to the bottom of the expansion chamber 25 is a discharge line 26 (FIG. 2) which extends through the screw cap 11 and discharges into the atmosphere.

Fastened into the wall of vthe piston cylinder 17 is a blockrZS. Drilled into the block 28 is anv air-liquid niixing chamber 29, one end of which opens into the piston cylinder 17. Air is admitted into the air-liquid mixing chamber 29 through air inlet 30', the amount of air being controlled by means of air regulator screw 31. l

The deodorizing and disinfecting liquid 3S contained in the liquid reservoir 1@ is admitted into the air-liquid mix- .ing chamber 29 through an opening 32, into which is tted a metal sleeve 33, and attached to the sleeve at one end is a section of tubing 34, the other end of which tubing extends at all times into the deodoriziing and disinfecting liquid 3S. In order to feed a uniform amount of deodorizing and disinfecting liquid 35 into the piston cylinder 17 on each stroke of the piston a check valve in the forinvof a metal ball 36 is placed on top of the metal sleeve 33, so that when the piston cylinder 17 is at substantially atmospheric pressure the bal-l is seated on the rim of the metal sleeve 33 and thus at all times liquid is maintained in the tubing 34 and the metal sleeve 33. When the pressure in the piston cylinder 17 is less than atmospheric pressure and the piston is raised to a position just above the inlet of the air-liquid mixing chamber, the suction so created raises the metal ball 36 olf its seat and sucks liquid and air into the air-liquid mixing chamber 29, which liq- Y uid is then admitted into the piston cylinder 17, thus p1acandassi in the reservoir 10, the liquid level of which is substantially above the bottom of the liquid intake 34. This maybe done by either removing the cover 11 from the reservoir or by admitting liquid through an opening in the cover 11. The crank 23 of my device is then fastened to the toilet seat cover 13 of the seat assembly or to a swinging door in such a manner that as the door closes or the seat cover 13 is lowered the piston 16 moves in a downward direction and as the seat cover 13 is raised or the door is opened the piston 16 moves in an upward direction. Some slight adjustment may be necessary in'placing the crank so that the piston 16 is completely depressed at the time the seat cover 13 is fully lowered or the door is closed, but such an adjustment will berreadily apparent to those skilled in the art. As the crank 23- moves radially it turns the shaft 21 so that the piston is raised, thus creating a vacuum in the piston cylinder 17 until the bottom of the Vpiston is opposite the air-liquid intake 29,

at which time the suction raises the yball float 36 olf itsY Once the piston 16 has been raised above the bottomV of the air-liquid mixing chamber 29 the pressure in the piston cylinder 17. returns to substantially atmospheric pressure by the admission of the air-liquid mixture. The amountofliquid 35 entering the piston chamber 17 is controlled through the ball 36, so that on each stroke of the pistonra constant amount of the liquid 35 will be admitted into the air-liquid mixing chamber 29. Prior to the incorporation ofthe check Valve arrangement in the liquid vintake 33 it was impossible to accurately control the amount of liquid 35 being admitted into the piston cylinder 17. With the toilet seat cover 13 fully raised or the door open, the pressure of the air-liquid mixture in the piston cylinder 17. will be the same as that of the surrounding atmosphere. With the beginning of the lowering of the seat cover 13 or the closing of the door theV per square inch gauge have been developed in the cylinder just prior to the opening of the valve 24. As the piston 16 continues rapidly in its downward movement and presses against the valve stem 24a the valve 24 opens and the compressed air-liquid mixture is then spontanev ously released into the expansion chamber 25, which material then escapes through the discharge line '26 into the surrounding atmosphere, deodorizing and disinfecting the same.

It is to be understood that my invention is capable of various modifications and I doY not desire to be limited to the exact construction shown and developed.

I claim as my invention:

1. A deodorizing device comprising in combination a reservoir containing a liquid deodorant; a piston cylinder tted with a piston and piston rod adapted to be reciprocated in the piston cylinder by the swinging of a'hinged movable member; an air-liquid mixing chamber which connects into said piston cylinder; a liquid intake, one end of which is submerged into the said deodorizing liquid, the other end of which connects into the air-liquid mixing chamber; an air intake connecting into said air-liquid mixing chamber; and an expansion chamber, one end of which exhausts to the atmosphere and the other end of which is connected to the piston cylinder through asealed mechanism, the seal normally being maintained; except at the point of maximum compression of the air-liquid mixture. y Y

2. A deodorizing device comprising in combination a reservoir containing a liquid deodorant; a'piston cylinder fitted with a piston and piston rod adapted to Vbe reciprocated in said piston cylinder by the swinging of a hinged movable member; an air-liquid mixing chamber which connects into said piston cylinder so that the inlet thereof is below the bottom of the piston when the piston is fully extended at one end of itsV stroke; a liquid intake, one end of which is submerged intoy the deodorizing liquid, the other end of which connectsrinto the air-liquid mixing chamber, said liquid intake having means'for maintaining liquid deodorant therein at all times; an air intake connecting into said ail-liquid mixing chamber having means for regulating the quantity of air to be admitted into said airliquid mixing chamber; and an expansion chamber, one end of which exhausts to the atmosphere, the other end of which is connected to the piston cylinder through a sealed` valve arrangement, the seal normally being maintained y except at the point of maximum compression of the airder ttedwith a piston and piston rod adapted to be reciprocated in the piston cylinder through the swinging of a hinged movable member; an air-liquid mixing chamber which connects into said piston cylinder, positioned sothat the inlet thereof is below the bottom of the piston when the piston is fully extended at one end of its stroke; an air-liquid mixing chamber which connects into said piston cylinder; a liquid intake, one endof which is submerged into the said disinfectant, the other end of which connects into the air-liquid mixing chamber, said liquid intake having positioned therein a liquid overow reservoir; an air intake connecting into said air-liquid mixing chamber and having means for regulating the quantity of air to be admitted into said air mixingy chamber; and an expansion chamber, one end of which exhausts to the atmosphere, the other end of which is connected to the piston cylinder through a sealed Valve having a valve stem which protrudes into said piston cylinder, the seal normally being maintained and broken only when the piston comes into contact with the valve stem.

References Cited in the tile of this patent Y UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,149,343 Coleman June 2l, 1915 1,403,140 VWiggins lan. 10, 1922 2,534,465 Marini Dec. 19, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Canada V Mar. 16, 1920 

